The Ontario Principals' Council is proud to co-present this event with Diverse City Strategies. Join us for engaging sessions and presentations to support retention, mentorship and recruitment of under-represented identities into leadership and related human resources practices.
Registration
Registration includes access to the sessions, meals and accommodations for one night at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Toronto Airport West. Register by April 23, 2025.
OPC Member/Associate Registration Non-Member Registration
| OPC Member/Associate | Non-Member | |
|---|---|---|
| Early Bird (until March 23) | $1,000 + HST | $1,200 + HST |
| Regular (March 24 –April 23) | $1,100 + HST | $1,300 + HST |
| Cancellations and Refunds |
| Cancellations received by April 23, 2025 are eligible for a full refund less a $40 administrative fee. No refunds will be issued for cancellations made after April 23, 2025. All changes or cancellations must be made in writing to equity@principals.ca. |
| Event Accessibility |
|
The OPC is committed to full compliance with the AODA, including Regulation 191/11, the Integrated Accessibility Standards Regulation. Our Accessibility Policy is available here. Please include your accommodation needs via the event registration form. |
Speakers
| Chris D’Souza |
 Chris D’Souza is an equity and anti-oppression activist with over twenty years of experience. He has delivered more than 5,000 impactful workshops across Canada. With a Master’s in Equity Studies, Chris has taught in the faculty of education pre-service primary, junior, and intermediate teachers at York and Brock University. The Harmony Movement, a leading provider of diversity and equity training programs, has awarded him a National award and he has written three children's books. His most recent book for adults is called "A C.R.A.S.H. Course on Anti-oppression: Examining Classism, Racism, Ableism, Sexism and Heterosexism." |
| Deepa Ahluwalia |
 In her role as the Human Rights and Equity Advisor for the Waterloo Region District School Board, Deepa Ahluwalia helps to support the establishment of a human rights culture by helping the senior team to identify and address systematic barriers and gaps, and to also support the resolution of Code-based complaints. Deepa oversees the Human Rights Branch, whose mandate also includes providing professional learning and training as it relates to anti-oppression and human rights, and to assist in the resolution of complaints by providing coaching and conducting investigations. |
| Pauline Janke, M.Ed, B.Ed, OCT |
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Together with her husband of 30 years, Pauline has raised a son and enjoys time with their two chocolate labradors and their two cats. |
| Pam Kaur |
 Pam Kaur is a Superintendent of Student Achievement and Wellbeing with the Waterloo Region District School Board. In her current role, supervises twenty three schools, chairs the Elementary Principal Promotion Process and leads the board's Indigenous, Black & Racialized Employee Network (IBREN). Pam also supports School Learning and Improvement work as well as programs such as Nutrition for Learning and Food For Kids. Prior to this role, Pam served as a teacher, vice-principal and principal in Toronto District School Board and as a principal in Waterloo Region District School Board.
Pam is passionate about student achievement and well-being, Truth and Reconciliation, Human Rights and Equity and Inclusion. She recognizes her own intersectionality and privilege as an English-speaking, educated, middle-class, cis-gender woman, and has experienced struggles typical of the lives of racialized people. Pam believes that justice matters, and that it matters for the success for our Black, Indigenous, racialized and 2SLGBTQ+ students, and is committed to serving the needs of all students. |
| Sherwyn Solomon |
 Sherwyn has been dedicated to advancing equity in education for over 30 years. His work in the field has included numerous public speaking engagements, workshops, curriculum development for the Ontario Ministry of Education, and co-authoring a book. As an educator, Sherwyn has worked in both private and public education across three provinces. He has served as an elementary and secondary school administrator for 15 years and currently holds a central role as Principal of Human Rights, Equity, and Accessibility. In this position, he continues to foster student achievement through his passion for equity and excellence in instructional practice.
At home, Sherwyn is the father of two teenagers and the owner of a greyhound—the slowest fastest dog on Earth. In his free time, he enjoys astrophotography, capturing images of the night sky, and contributing to community initiatives. |
| Nathalie Sirois |
 Nathalie Sirois leads the Global Centre for Pluralism’s efforts to support educators and system leaders in making pluralism a lived experience in their specific contexts with a view to building inclusive societies resilient to fear and hate. She spent over 20 years in K-12 public education in a variety of roles, including community worker, teacher, instructional coach, consultant, in various system leader roles and as an advisor and coach to senior leaders. As one of the first Senior Advisors for Equity, Human Rights and Pluralism in a French-language school board in Canada, she contended daily with the systemic effects of the double minoritization of francophone students and staff from historically marginalized communities. Her journey has also brought her to offer training and to publish various resources on trauma-informed practice for educators and on educational leadership. Nathalie will be running a workshop during the summit; "Recrutement, Rétention: Reconnaissance, Appartenance." |
| Tanya Senk |
 Tanya Senk is a Métis/Cree/Saulteaux educator, writer, speaker, and community worker, who has been working in the field of education for 30 years. She is currently the first Indigenous System Superintendent of Indigenous Education, Toronto District School Board. Her responsibilities are the Urban Indigenous Education Centre and Kapapamahchakwew / Wandering Spirit School, K-12. She has held various roles throughout her career including a teacher, a secondee – course director in the Faculty of Education, York University (Urban Diversity and Regent Park - Community Based Teacher Education Programs), an instructional leader, program coordinator, curriculum writer, AQB developer and instructor, a researcher, and has taught undergraduate courses in Indigenous studies. She has worked on several research projects, and has been a principal, and a centrally assigned principal. The UIEC operates within the following domains: Supporting Indigenous Student Success, Achievement and Well-Being; Community Engagement; Partnerships; Professional Learning; Programming and Curriculum Development; Research and Innovation; Truth and Reconciliation; and Governance and Policy Development. She holds a B.F.A., B.Ed., and an M.Ed. As a PhD candidate, her research interests include Urban Indigenous Education, Decolonizing Education and Leadership. |
Pauline is entering her third year as System Principal with the WRDSB after serving four years as vice principal. She joined WRDSB in 2009 after moving to Canada from the United Kingdom, bringing a wealth of leadership and teaching experience, which allowed her to lend these diverse experiences, skills and perspectives to her work of building equitable and inclusive schools within the board. Pauline was inspired to become a teacher when she was nine after meeting her paternal aunt, an elementary school teacher who was visiting with the family from Jamaica. This is why she believes in quality representation as a critical component of equitable schools and a range of lived experiences as essential in school leaders. Location and Hotel Accommodations
DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Toronto Airport West
5444 Dixie Road
Mississauga, ON L4W 2L2
Hotel accommodations are included in the registration fee. More information will be available at the end of February.
Schedule
| Time | Details |
|---|---|
| 3:00 p.m. |
Arrival and hotel check-in |
| 4:00–5:30 p.m. | Keynote – "Mentoring Indigenous and Racialized Employees for Leadership" presented by Pam Kaur (SO), Pauline Janke (Principal) and Deepa Ahluwalia (Human Rights and Equity Advisor) from WRDSB |
| 6:00–7:30 p.m. | Dinner (open bar) and networking in the Alderwood Room |
| 8:00–9:30 p.m. | Live band performance by Some Kind |
| Time | Details |
|---|---|
| 7:30–8:30 a.m. | Breakfast in Hawthorne Room C |
| 9:00–10:30 a.m. | Keynote – Sherwynn Solomon, "Removing Barriers to Black and Racialized Employees" in Hawthorne Hall AB |
| 10:30–10:45 p.m. | Hotel room check out |
| 10:45–12:00 p.m. | Keynote – Chris D'Souza, "Leading with an Equity Lens amidst the Rise of Right-wing Ideology" in Hawthorne Hall AB |
| 12:00–1:00 p.m. | Lunch in Hawthorne Hall C |
| 1:00–2:30 p.m. | Presentation – "Supporting School Board Employees Doing Equity and Anti-opression Work" |
| 2:30–3:00 p.m. | De-brief and wrap up |
Contact(s)
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